Keeper of the Lost Cities Book 8.5: Unlocked by Shannon Messenger

Summary from Goodreads:

Book 8.5 in the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling Keeper of the Lost Cities series delivers what fans of the series have been begging for! Told in an exciting new way, the saga continues with plenty of huge reveals and shocking new twists—plus a complete series guide with beautiful color and black-and-white illustrations and other awesome bonuses!

In this extra special installment of the Keeper of the Lost Cities series, the story picks up right from Legacy’s particularly devastating cliffhanger. But chapters alternate between Sophie and Keefe’s perspectives to give readers deeper insights into both beloved characters. New powers will be discovered. Hard truths from the past will come to light. And all of your favorite characters will find themselves tested in ways they never imagined.

And that's not all!

Unlocked also includes a comprehensive guide to the world of the Lost Cities, featuring new character and world details that have never been revealed before—plus fun bonuses like Keeper-themed recipes, a detailed map of the Lost Cities, gorgeous full-color illustrations, and so much more!

Review:

I’m not going to lie; I normally don’t spend money on these half books….But, I saw what the book looked like at my library. It’s massive. And I figured I owned the whole series already…might as well have them all.  I was a little disappointed to learn that most of this massive book is a Guide to the series about things I already know. It’s maps, registry entries, author’s notes, artwork, activities, recipes, etc. And it’s only the last 200+ pages that are a novella/continuation from book 8.

Is it worth owning? I’d say only if you are a big fan. Otherwise, I recommend getting this one from the library. Do you need to read this before book 9 comes out? YES, you do! A lot happens in the novella. Also, if you’d prefer to skip the boring parts of the guide, and just want to know the good parts (with Keefe) that might interest you, I can tell you! The first 200 pages is the Registry section that goes into details about what the council knows about each important character. Unless you want to brush up on characters you don’t remember that well, feel free to skip this and just read the section on Dex (81) and Keefe (91). They apparently “hacked” the system and made their entries a lot more interesting. If you want a laugh, read their sections only. I thought it was funny.

I also liked the section on Keefe’s memories (479). You see both his drawings and his journal entries about them. You go further into the head of Keefe. What’s not to like about that? But, everything else in the guidebook was a bit of a snore. I read the whole thing because I was kind of in bed all day any way with a GI flare up day and needed a light-hearted distraction from reality. But, honestly, I kind of wish I read a review like this that told me I could skip things.

Then, there’s the novella. You absolutely need to read the novella to be prepared for book 9.  A lot happens in those 200+pages. Also, for the first time, it’s not just in Sophie’s point of view! I don’t want to say who else’s it’s in cause I feel like I’d be seriously spoiling things, but just know, I was remarkably happy with the two points of view.

And I can’t really talk too much about the novella without spoiling things, from book 8 that I worked hard not to mention in that review. Just know that stuff picks up immediately where things ended. A legacy was revealed. Sophie knows who one of her biological parents is. A huge success for the Black Swan happened, but at the risk of all out war that is likely to take place in book 9. And a super important character has left everyone right when they are needed most….Now, the wait for book 9 is going to be killer. What am I going to do now?

I’ve left book 1 on my husband’s nightstand for starters.  And I’ve given the books as presents to some friends already. I have a problem. And I think book 9 is supposed to be the last book? Then what will I do? I give this 8.5 book an 8/10 because the novella was super good. I did not love the guide, except for the Keefe parts. Honestly, I would have been fine if it were just the novella. Then it would have gotten a higher rating.